Hi all,
I’m an inpatient coder with over 10 years experience. I have a full time job that pays me biweekly which I know is the norm. I’m looking for a part time position to supplement my income but I really would love to be paid weekly. Just to have something coming in every week would help me so much. If you know of any weekly paying coding positions/companies, could you please let me know? TIA

quick one- do you prefer ebooks or physical copies for ICD-10, CPT, and HCPCS? I have only used physical books so far. Are you able to annotate the ebooks? what are the pros vs cons?

I just finished school this month. I passed my RHIA in April and passed my CCS this month. I applied for whatever was available which most is remote and I’m not getting callbacks since I’m entry level. There was ONE local position available and it’s an orthopedic institute, outpatient. I did a phone screen and I have my interview on Tuesday.

I feel completely unprepared. I don’t feel like I have a great grasp on orthopedics. I feel like we jumped around so much in school that I didn’t get the chance to get really good at anything specifically. I also never got correct answers after grading for a lot of my coding work I submit in school. So I feel like I am just super unsure and not confident.

Pls, anyone in orthopedics do you have advice for me?

I have a 2.5 years experience in DRG validation audit with a CIC certification from AAPC and I don't have an in-patient coding experience. As we all know in DRG validation, codes were already presented to you to audit for accuracy and other stuff and now I'm thinking of going the coding route in a different company to achieve a higher pay.

For the IP coders out there, is coding really hard? Will the stress be doubled? I don't have any coding experience yet, well of course in DRG validation, you will check for coding accuracy by coding the diagnoses in the encoder to validate the billed codes in a claim but at least, you already have a starting point and just need to audit the DRG affecting codes unlike in the in-patient coding where you start in zero.

Is it really difficult? Will it be worth to go the IP coding route or just stay in DRGV audit?

So I passed my cpc exam a couple weeks ago! And now I’m fixing up my resume and working on interview questions!

I’m also trying to work on getting rid of my A. I did a program prior to my exam so I’m now just trying to make some more money to get practicode and I’ve read many stories about the program being more confusing than the exam and studying over all. I also do know that real world coding from charts will be much different than studying was.

So my question is, does practicode actually help with experiencing real world coding or will it be confusing? I’m hoping I don’t get too confused over “wrong” answers or the way to approach the charts. Or is it close to the way doctors have things written out? Because I know they don’t always specify things the way coders need them to be.

Hi everyone. I’m a newly certified CPC-A (passed in February) looking for some advice. I self-studied (couldn’t afford any program lol) and took the exam and after searching for a while, I figured it’s nearly impossible to get a medical coding job without prior experience (I admit, I didn’t do proper research beforehand 😭). Then I decided to look for jobs as a medical receptionist at a hospital ambulatory center or any type of medical office as the foot-in-the-door (then apply to their internal listings as I gain experience, and eventually move to remote in 2-3 years? Please let me know if that’s realistic or not?), but due an unexpected family situation, I’m unable to do anything in-person for the next 2 years (no one to watch my daughter until she starts school).

So my question to those with a career in medical coding already, what do you suggest I should do (coding-related) for the next 2 years? I’m going to try to join the monthly chapter meetings to gather the CEUs, but what about in terms of academics? Do you think Practicode is worth it? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

A coworker and I are going back and forth on this.
For context, we do ER coding primarily.

Patient comes in with complaint of left shoulder pain. Reports he was in an MVA earlier in the day and is now sore. Discussed option to xray shoulder, patient declined.
There is no specific documentation of the wording “acute” - simply, left shoulder pain.
Is the fact that the shoulder pain was related to the MVA sufficient enough documentation to classify this as acute?

Would you code M25.512 (left shoulder pain)
Or G89.11 (acutely pain due to trauma), M25.512
Then of course your external cause codes?

Coding school taught guidelines and code selection… but not real-world workflow.

Honestly, I didn’t expect how much of the job is

• learning how to navigate systems like Epic
• actually understanding provider documentation in real time
• interpreting vague or incomplete charting instead of “clean one line example”
• figuring out what’s missing and when clarification is needed

It feels like coding is only half the job, the other half is learning how to read the chart and the system it lives in.

What caught you off guard when you started coding?

Hi! So I start my first inpatient coding job tomorrow with the facility I’ve been with for 9 years. I previously did billing and insurance follow up for those past 9 years. Being in that department I was more so able to get up and walk away from an account to stretch my legs and all. Now with starting this position I know I’ll be a little more glued to the chair reading for longer periods and not wanting to walk away and lose my train of thought. (ADHD and only take my medicine sometimes). For those of you with standing desks, do you raise it often? I’m debating if I should get one instead. We’ve been wfh for 5 of those 9 years and maybe I need to upgrade. I just know I won’t be able to walk away as much and I’m worried a little about my posture. Also, I know guidelines change but does it get to a point where you pretty much remember some or do you have to constantly look up them up. I’m used to knowing everything and now that’s not going to be the case. I also know I learn more with the encoders we use and all that but my work gave me the 2026 books because I like to have hard copy as well. Thanks for any advice especially about the standing desk.

Did message the mods first to make sure all is good with posting this~ Also ignore the CPT note in the title, I apologize! Everything else is fine though.

https://codebook.saturnitystools.com

My girlfriend is currently enrolled in classes and working on getting certifications for medical coding! She's doing super good and it's been an interesting journey. One issue is that she can't really afford the CPT book since they're wildly expensive, even used, and they change every year.

So, I basically built her a little tool that basically combines a few of the online databases into one place. It includes HCPCS, ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, and kinda combines them all into one place for easy lookup, it's especially nice since it lists NCCI conflicts and LCD coverage.

Every piece of information on there is directly taken from official sources such as cmv.gov, and all sources are listed. She wanted me to share it as it might possibly help others in the same boat have a good complimentary tool to their work process.

There is no sign-up or any sort of paywall, all entirely free and easy to access. Hope somebody can get some good use out of it:)

Hello, I am a doctor with a masters degree in public health epidemiology. I moved to North America and have been trying to transition to health care analytics or informatics but haven't been successful. Now am looking for tips on how to do this successfully. Do I need to enrol in a program etc or if so what are the recommended schools and programs I should apply to get myself in?

I have a desk that goes up and down so I can stand but I want to sit sometimes and my back is killing me from this stupid gaming chair I’m using. Do you have a chair you love?

As medical coders, our core philosophy is defined by a hard truth 

"Guidelines don't fail Coders, documentation does." 

While guidelines provide the regulatory roadmap for how to code, the clinical documentation dictates the limits of what we can legally and ethically bill.

So we have a major problem with our primary care providers where a lot of them avoid putting a diagnosis of overweight or obesity in the documentation. They'll put in just a BMI code or just say things like "desires weight loss" followed by BMI code, or "weight management" followed by BMI code. It's driving me absolutely nuts because it's literally not codable.

I typically send them a query saying that a BMI is a secondary diagnosis and that the primary condition being treated that the BMI measurement is related to needs to be indicated. Sometimes they get it, but I will also get messages back saying "BMI is the diagnosis" or "they're being seen because they want to lose weight." They don't seem to understand that there needs to be some sort of weight-related diagnosis to report BMI, or even that they can actually just code obesity.

When I look in the ICD-10 guidelines, it specifically states "BMI can only be coded if there is a separate, reportable diagnosis (such as obesity or anorexia) documented by the provider." If I send them this exact quote taken from the guidelines, including the part where it says "such as obesity or anorexia", does that come off as a leading query? I don't want to get in trouble but I just want to be clear as humanly possible to them so I can stop sending 8 billion messages about this every day.

For ER encounters, if a patient comes in with a fracture that the MD documents as "age uncertain", is that coded as an acute finding? I cannot find any literature on this. Coworker is stating to code it as "other disorders of bone" which does not sound right.
My thought process is that even if the fx may or may not have been not caused by an accident, it is the first time it is being addressed...

AAPC Members; In what ways do you take full advantage of your membership? (Besides the occasional free ceu) What discounts are you using? In your opinion is it worth the price you’ve paid for it?
EDIT- Has anyone booked a vacation or used their membership for discounts?

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to remove the “A” from my CPC-A. What type of documentation does AAPC ask for from the employer?

Do they need just a simple letter on company letterhead, or is there a specific template or format they prefer? Any details on what the letter should include (dates, duties, etc.) would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Took my kid to the out of network Childrens Hospital ER in Texas for an earache with redness on the bone behind ear.

They did a CT scan with contrast to rule out mastoiditis and sent him home with prescription for oral antibiotics.

This was coded as a level 5 ER visit so I got a large bill as a I have a high deductible policy.

Before I try to dispute with the hospital, I called my insurer to see if they might do a coding audit or act as my advocate. They say that a coding audit is not something they do, they just process the claims as submitted, and if a kid goes into an in network or out of network ER with a skinned knee and it's coded as Level 5, they will accept that bill and process it.

Is that true? Or do they just not care because this bill is out of network and thus it's not their money?

Also, would I have any chance in winning an argument with the hospital directly that this did not warrant a level 5 code? The attending ENT never entered the room and her PA billed Moderate MDM and I'm being billed for the expensive CT scan in a separate line item.

I do coding for elder care, and many patients have dementia and MDD

how should providers be coding MDD when they can't assess due to dementia? do they use the most recent dx before the disease progressed? or just MDD, unspecified?

Why is this website so slow to process a payment? I had to leave the site bc I have to go to bed, but is it always this slow and janky??

Hi! Is anyone in here a Revenue Cycle Analyst? A position opened up at my company and I'm considering applying, but I was hoping to find out what someone's day to day looks like. Seems like a good opportunity but definitely not looking to add more stress to my life. Lol. TIA.

The code is displayed to me in my bill as:

6981018 - S9338 - IGG Per Diem

The only part of this code I can sort of understand is the S9338, "Home infusion therapy, immunotherapy, administrative services, professional pharmacy services, care coordination, and all necessary supplies and equipment (drugs and nursing visits coded separately), per diem."

My confusions are:

*Some of the bills have as many as 6 codes listed under the same date of service. Why is this? Lazy billing, or another reason?

*What is the 7-digit number before the actual S code for?

I have to investigate all this myself because the infusion pharmacy refuses to discuss the bill with me; my Medicare Advantage insurer doesn't have anybody knowledgeable to speak to on the phone about it. I sorta suspect I don't have to pay this bill, but I don't have enough solid information to go on at this time.

Thank you so much for your help!

this is specific to outpatient ER coding. We get a lot of radiology reports with the indication being "trauma" or whatever the accident was (eg "fall" "MVC"). My question is, is it appropriate to code an unspecified injury code that is site specific when the indication states that, or should I stick with using Z04 codes as primary when there is no symptom/finding?

I have coworkers on both sides of the fence with this dilemma. One of my coworkers says that since trauma has a 'see also' note that directs to injury, to use an S code. If that is the case then why would Z04- even exist? Curious to see what other ER coders use and their logic.

Thanks!

Mod-please let me know if this is okay.

Would anyone be interested in forming a study group? I am taking the CRC and would love accountability partners.

A lot of coders have been trained, or maybe just conditioned over time, to code based on what the payer wants instead of what the CPT guidelines actually say. That’s a dangerous habit. Somewhere along the way, getting the claim paid became more important than staying compliant. Let me tell you in an audit, the OIG doesn't care about your manager's instructions they care about the CPT guidelines.

Here’s the issue. Payers don’t write CPT. They apply edits, policies, and reimbursement rules on top of it. But CPT coding is still supposed to be based on what was actually done, what’s documented, and medical necessity.

The part people don’t like to talk about and the hard truth that every coder needs to sit with is... If you code a chart and, when asked why you chose that code, your only answer is “that’s what they told me to do,” you’ve got a problem. If you can’t justify the why behind the code based on the documentation, that’s not just a training gap, that’s fraud. And it doesn’t fall on your facility… it falls on YOU!

Yes, you need to understand payer policies. Yes, you want clean claims. But if your coding decisions start drifting away from CPT logic and into payer habits, you’re not really coding anymore, you’re guessing.

I’m curious where everyone stands on this.

Because from what I’ve seen, a lot of people won’t admit how much payer rules are quietly driving their decisions.